‘Govt of being inconsiderate towards anganwadi workers': Protesters in Ludhiana demand better remuneration
Anganwadi workers
staged a four-hour-long protest against the central and state govts in front of Gate No.1 of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), pressing for their demands, including regularisation of jobs.
The protesters also carried out a rally on Malhar Road and raised slogans against the govts.
There are around 54,000 anganwadi workers in Punjab and about 4,500 workers in Ludhiana district alone.
Usha Rani, president of the workers' union, said before the AAP came to power in the state, the party had promised to double the wages of Anganwadi workers and helpers. However, despite these commitments, no such changes have been implemented.
"Even in today's time of soaring inflation, anganwadi workers earn only around Rs 10,000 a month, while helpers are paid just Rs 5,350," she said.
She added that the workers, most of whom come from economically weaker sections, have been surviving on these meagre wages for years. "It is frustrating that the govt has continued to ignore our long-pending demands. The promises made to us have remained just words, with no action on the ground," she said, accusing the govt of being inconsiderate towards anganwadi workers.
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They also expressed concern that the govt's decision to admit children directly to pre-primary classes would significantly reduce their workload, as anganwadi workers are primarily responsible for the care and development of children up to six years of age. They suggested that, following the Karnataka govt's model, nursery and LKG education should be conducted through anganwadi centres, and an Anganwadi Leaving Certificate should be made mandatory for admission to primary school.
Additionally, they demanded that, in line with the New Education Policy, anganwadi workers and helpers be given the status of Nursery Teacher Training (NTT) teachers for their role in pre-primary education.
They also demanded that on the lines of the govt of Karnataka and Gujarat, Anganwadi workers in Punjab, should also be given gratuity upon retirement.
The anganwadi workers said the Centre has been monitoring their performance through the Poshan Tracker app, which tracks data related to children aged 0 to 6, including growth monitoring and pre-school education.
Though the Centre allocated funds twice since 2016 for mobile phones to aid this work, the workers said the state govt has not released the money.
"Most of us belong to economically weaker sections and cannot afford smartphones, which are essential for completing digital tasks," said Anita, an anganwadi worker. "Those who have smartphones had to buy them on their own. The govt must release the funds so we can purchase the required devices."
Union president Usha Rani added that the funds should be used to provide laptops or tablets to simplify data entry.
The workers also demanded that the mandatory KYC and facial recognition requirements be scrapped immediately. They further called for better infrastructure and supply of pre-school kits at Anganwadi centres. "Anganwadis should be upgraded and made state-of-the-art to match the services we're expected to deliver," said Amarjit, another worker.
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